Colombo – IOM is providing shelter, water and sanitation facilities, and logistical support to thousands of families fleeing hostilities between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in the North and East of the country.

"IOM is working closely with the government and other agencies to meet the needs of people newly displaced by the fighting. We are using all our available resources and urgently need more funding to help these people, many of whom have lost everything," says IOM's head of emergency operations in Sri Lanka Giovanni Cassani.

IOM has already constructed emergency and semi-permanent shelters, toilets and washing facilities at several sites for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Vavuniya and Jaffna districts.

It is also improving water supply and waste water management systems at welfare centres, distributing essential sanitation supplies to displaced families, and providing transport for relief items donated by the government and other agencies in northern and eastern districts.

Over the past three months IOM has transported nearly 300 loads of relief supplies on behalf of government and other agencies to conflict-affected people. In response to a government request, it provided 28 trucks to transport medical equipment for a mobile hospital set up to treat IDPs in Trincomalee district.

IOM will also be providing technical and logistical assistance to improve the government's IDP registration process. The system, based on software developed by IOM to register tsunami-affected populations, includes the issuance of identity cards that will facilitate future post-conflict recovery and return initiatives.

Plans are also underway to construct temporary shelters for educational and recreational activities and to conduct hygiene promotion workshops in IDP shelter sites.

IOM's emergency operations in Sri Lanka are currently funded by Australia, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).

***

For more information, please contact: Aurela Rincon, Tel. +94 11 5325 392 (Ext. 379), E-mail: arincon@iom.int or Passanna Gunasekera, Tel. +94 11 5325 300 (Ext. 341), E-mail: pgunasekera@iom.int